The present invention generally relates to methods and equipment for cutting solid and semisolid materials, including food products.
The Affinity® dicer is a machine manufactured by Urschel Laboratories and is particularly well suited for dicing various materials, a notable but nonlimiting example being cheese. The Affinity® dicer is well known as capable of high capacity output and precision cuts. In addition, the Affinity® dicer has a sanitary design to deter bacterial growth.
A representation of an Affinity® dicer is shown in FIG. 1. Product is delivered to a feed hopper (not shown) and enters a rotating impeller 10, where centrifugal force holds the product against the inside of a stationary case 12 equipped with a slicing knife 14. Paddles 11 of the impeller carry the product past the slicing knife 14, producing slices that pass between a rotating feed drum 16 and feed roll 18, then enter circular cutter 20 equipped with circular knives where the slices are cut into strips. The strips pass directly into a cross-cutter 22 equipped with crosscut knives that produce the final cut to yield a diced product.
FIGS. 2 and 3 schematically represent longitudinal and diametrical cross-sections of the cross-cutter 22 showing a hollow spindle 24 adapted to be coaxially mounted on a shaft (not shown). The spindle 24 defines a continuous circumferential wall 26 in which slots 28 are formed for receiving knives 30 of the cross-cutter 22. As evident from FIG. 3, the slots 28 have a rectangular cross-section to define a base wall 32 and side walls 34 that support each knife 30 along its entire length at its base and opposite sides, respectively. The base and sides of the knives 30 define square edges, and the slots 28 are complementarily formed so that the base wall 32 and side walls 34 of each slot 28 also define square interior corners. While the cross-cutter 22 and the Affinity® dicer as a whole is manufactured to high sanitation standards for continuous operation, the square interior corners of the slots 28 can pose a challenge to thorough cleaning of the cross-cutter 22.
In view of the above, it can be appreciated that improvements for material cutting equipment is continuously sought, and that it would be desirable if a cutting device, for example, the cross-cutter of the Affinity® dicer, were available that promotes the ability of the device to be cleaned.